Weather, Insects Pressure Prices of Iceberg Lettuce

EL CENTRO — The Imperial Valley’s winter iceberg lettuce crop is threatened by insects and bad weather, the same problems blamed for shortages and high prices a year ago.

However, experts don’t expect prices to soar to last winter’s levels.

Whiteflies have been a problem in the desert area that stretches from California’s Imperial Valley to Yuma, Ariz., and that provides almost all of the nation’s iceberg lettuce each winter.

“We have a very similar situation to last year, but what has made it a little tougher and accentuated the deep problem was the extreme heat here in October,” said grower Joe Colace.

The heat put stress on young lettuce plants and increased the number of the flies that can stunt formation of lettuce heads or cause leaves to yellow, he said.

$20 a Box Last Year

Desert iceberg lettuce is bringing $10 to $14 for a carton of 24 heads, more than the price received two years ago but well under last year’s prices.

“This time last year we were upward of $20 a box,” Colace said.

However, industry experts did not predict that prices will equal last winter’s, when supermarkets sold iceberg lettuce as high as $1.59 a head.

Lettuce, California’s No. 1 vegetable crop, grossed $598 million for the state growers last year.